[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 39 (Monday, September 27, 2004)]
[Pages 2080-2082]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following Discussions With Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of Iraq 
and an Exchange With Reporters in New York City

September 21, 2004

    President Bush. A couple of opening statements. We'll answer--I'll 
answer a couple of questions from the U.S. media, AP and Reuters, and 
I'll answer a question from the Iraqi media as well.
    First, Mr. Prime Minister, it's been my delight to visit with you. I 
appreciate your courage. I appreciate your leadership. I am--I share the 
same confidence you share that Iraq will be a free nation, and as a 
nation, our world will be safer and America will be more secure. We look 
forward to working with you, sir. I'm proud that you have--you and your 
administration have stood strong in the face of the terrorists who want 
to disrupt progress in Iraq.
    Today--yesterday an American citizen was beheaded. We express our 
heartfelt condolences. We send our prayers to the Armstrong family. We 
also stand in solidarity with the American that is now being held 
captive, while we send our prayers to his wife.
    These killers want to shake our will.
    Prime Minister Allawi. Yes.
    President Bush. They want to determine the fate of the Iraqi people. 
We will not allow these thugs and terrorists to decide your fate and to 
decide our fate. As your election draws closer, I'm confident the 
terrorists will try to stop the progress by acts of violence. And I 
appreciate your will, and I appreciate your strength. And we'll stand 
with you, Mr. Prime Minister.
    Welcome.
    Prime Minister Allawi. Thank you very much. I would like to pay my 
condolences really to the people who lost their lives in defending--
fighters of freedom and democracy. The barbaric action of yesterday 
really is unbelievable. It demonstrates how much these criminals are 
wanting to damage our worth across Iraq as well as in the civilized 
world.
    We in Iraq appreciate tremendously the courage President Bush took 
in deciding to wage war to destroy Saddam. The atrocities and tyranny 
and--atrocities that have been committed when Saddam was around was 
unbelievable. We show a lot of--hundreds of thousands of mass graves in 
Iraq.
    The war now in Iraq is really not only an Iraqi war. It's a war for 
the civilized world to fight terrorists and terrorism. And there is no 
route but the route of winning, and we are going to prevail, and we are 
going to win, regardless of how much damage they are going to make and 
cause in Iraq and elsewhere. They want to undermine us in Iraq and to 
move from Iraq, to undermine the region. And once they do this, they 
will hit hard at the civilized world, in Washington and New York and 
London and Paris and Ankara and Geneva, elsewhere--everywhere in the 
civilized world.
    So we are adamant and determined that we, together, will stand and 
win against the aggressors, and peace and stability will prevail in the 
Middle East. And we thank you very much for your support.
    President Bush. Thank you, sir.
    Scott [Scott Lindlaw, Associated Press].

Criticism of Iraq Policy

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President. You've answered some of Senator Kerry's 
criticisms in the last couple days about your Iraq policy. A couple of 
Republicans have raised some questions as well in the last couple days. 
Senator Hagel said that, ``Sharp analysis of our policies is required. 
We didn't do that in Vietnam, to the point where we finally lost.'' 
Senator McCain, you're not being ``as straight as we would want him to 
be,'' about the situation in Iraq. What do you say to them?
    President Bush. Both Senators you quoted strongly want me elected as 
President. We agree that the world is better off with Saddam Hussein 
sitting in a prison cell.

[[Page 2081]]

And that stands in stark contrast to the statement my opponent made 
yesterday when he said that the world was better off with Saddam in 
power.
     I strongly disagree. It is in our interests that we deal with Prime 
Minister Allawi. It's in our interests that we work toward a free 
society in Iraq. And I believe we'll have a free society in Iraq, and I 
know that a free society in Iraq makes America safer and the world 
better off.
    My opponent has taken so many different positions on Iraq that his 
statements are hardly credible at all.
    Who is from the Iraqi media?

Prime Minister Allawi's Visit

    Q. Mr. President, how do you evaluate Mr. Allawi's visit to America? 
And in what way--how can we--what the result will be reflected on the 
situation of Iraq, as a result of this visit?
    President Bush. Well, first, I'm glad to be able to look him in the 
eye and tell him how much I appreciate his courage. I believe that Iraq 
needed a strong Government to lead the people toward a free world. And 
this group of gentlemen here are doing just that.
    This is an important visit because the Prime Minister will be able 
to explain clearly to the American people that not only is progress 
being made, that we will succeed. The American people have seen horrible 
scenes on our TV screens. And the Prime Minister will be able to say to 
them that in spite of the sacrifices being made, in spite of the fact 
that Iraqis are dying and U.S. troops are dying as well, that there is a 
will amongst the Iraqi people to succeed. And we stand with them. It's 
also an important visit for me to say to the people of Iraq that America 
has given its word to help, and we'll keep our word.
    Who is the Reuters man here?

National Intelligence Estimate/Situation in Iraq

    Q. Right here, Mr. President, thank you. Why do you think the CIA's 
assessment of conditions in Iraq are so much at odds with the optimism 
that you and Prime Minister Allawi are expressing at the moment?
    President Bush. The CIA laid out a--several scenarios that said: 
Life could be lousy; like could be okay; life could be better. And they 
were just guessing as to what the conditions might be like. The Iraqi 
citizens are defying the pessimistic predictions. The Iraqi citizens are 
headed toward free elections. This Government has been in place for a 
little over 2 months, and the Iraqi citizens are seeing a determined 
effort by responsible citizens to lead to a more hopeful tomorrow. And I 
am optimistic we'll succeed.
    Listen, I understand how tough it is. The Prime Minister understands 
how tough it is. He has to live with the few who are trying to stop the 
aspirations of the many. And we are--we're standing with the Iraqi 
people because it's in our Nation's interests to do so. We're standing 
with the people of this good country because we understand that, as 
Prime Minister has said, that we must defeat them there. Otherwise we'll 
face them here at home.
    And we'll prevail. We will succeed. It's an historic opportunity. 
And that's why I'm so honored to be with the Prime Minister. It's an 
historic opportunity not only to change this good country for the better 
and secure America, but it's an historic opportunity to set example for 
people in the broader Middle East that free societies can and will 
exist.
    And I want to thank you for your leadership, sir.
    Prime Minister Allawi. Thank you, Mr. President. It's very important 
for the people of the world really to know that we are winning. We are 
making progress in Iraq. We are defeating terrorists. Najaf, Samarra, 
Mosul, Basra are all live examples that a lot of progress have been 
made. Unfortunately, the media have not been covering these significant 
gains in Iraq. And this is all because of the determination of the Iraqi 
people. The light that they are seeing at the end will--democracy will 
prevail, the rule of law will prevail. The issues and culture of human 
rights will prevail. And the friendship with the United States and with 
the civilized nations are comfortable there.
    So, really, the winning, it's unfortunate, is not being portrayed in 
the media. This is very unfortunate. I always say that we are welcoming 
any media who wants to come to Iraq

[[Page 2082]]

and see for themselves the grounds we are covering and the winning we 
are doing in Iraq.
    President Bush. One thing is for certain. My discussions with Prime 
Minister Allawi reconfirm to me that the world is much better off with 
Prime Minister Allawi and his Government in power. And any statement to 
the contrary is wrong. The idea somehow that the world would be better 
off with Saddam Hussein in power is an absurd notion.
    Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 12:52 p.m. at the Waldorf-Astoria. In his 
remarks, he referred to Eugene Armstrong, an American citizen who was 
killed on September 20 by militants led by senior Al Qaida associate Abu 
Musab Al Zarqawi, and Jack Hensley, also an American citizen, who was 
kidnaped with Mr. Armstrong on September 16. Prime Minister Allawi 
referred to former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. A tape was not 
available for verification of the content of these remarks.